


Just a little different

by RavenShira



Category: Naruto
Genre: Kidnapping, Naruto grows up with family
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-16
Updated: 2018-08-16
Packaged: 2019-06-28 12:12:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15706989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RavenShira/pseuds/RavenShira
Summary: After Naruto's birth and the subsequent tragedy that ended with his parents death and a Bijuu sealed in the unaware child, Sarutobi placed the young boy regretfully in the orphanage. There was nothing to be done. Nobody to take him in, who wouldn't draw attention to him and no-one else wanted to have the Jinchūriki of the nine-tails close to them, after the recent memories associated with it.He kept an eye on Naruto whenever he could.And yet, somehow, the boy still got kidnapped right under his nose.Or: A much different Naruto starts his life as a ninja in averydifferent way. And toads are loyal to a fault, but don't know much about human child-rearing.





	Just a little different

Sarutobi cradled the precious bundle closer to his chest and sorrowfully took in the scene before him. Minato and Kushina. His heart ached, seeing them lie still and torn up on the ground in front of their little boy that was now struggling in his arms.

 

A precious child that just lost his family. If only he had been able to do more. If only they had survived.

 

If only...

 

With a sigh he lifted Naruto a little higher. Kushina had held on long enough to tell him the name of her child, the first and only thing she had been able to give Naruto, aside from the Bijuu that would only serve to make his life harder. Sarutobi closed his eyes in pain and straightened his spine, feeling the weight of responsibility he had only just managed to shed settle on his shoulders once more like a heavy weight that was ready to make him bow or break his back entirely if any more was added to it. He swallowed, and looked at Minato once more, someone so bright and earnest that Sarutobi had gladly given the title over to him, knowing that the future would be in good hands with him, and Kushina would always manage to keep his head straight.

 

With both of them gone, he felt... lost, and a little hopeless. He couldn't allow the village to be led by someone like Danzo or Orochimaru. But Tsunade had left in grief and Jiraya had left to find his purpose. Neither were ready to take the responsibility, and with this death neither would be able to. Tsunade would see it as affirmation of her fears and Jiraya... Jiraya had been so close to Minato. Saw him as his own child and the news of his demise would break his student in ways that Sarutobi didn't want to imagine.

 

Would he be able to watch over Naruto?  
  
After giving orders to the people, Sarutobi slowly made his way to the hospital. He could have gone quicker, but he wasn't ready to let go of Naruto yet, who couldn't know that he had just entered the world and been left behind to face a rough path on his own.

 

Sarutobi pressed Naruto closer to his chest and felt his heart twinge in regret and pain, carefully supporting the head and keeping the little bundle warm as he could.

 

Could anyone watch after Naruto? Minato and Kushina alone had powerful enemies. If Naruto came into the limelight as Jiraya's adoptive son...

 

Not to mention that Jiraya would need to stay in the village and probably would have to give up on his budding spy-network.

 

Sarutobi would ask him, but he felt uneasy about it either way. Too many eyes on Naruto who didn't have enough barriers between him and the enemy. Nobody to protect him with all their might, as Kushina and Minato would have done and had done.

 

Maybe Kakashi-

 

But no. No, the boy struggled with his own troubles. He was young, but he had lost much and Minato's death... another problem to come in the near future and Sarutobi heaved out a bitter sigh, weary to the bones.

 

Maybe Mikoto could take him in... But Naruto looked nothing like an Uchiha, it would be obvious he was adopted and people would find the connection to the Yondaime and Kushina's best friend very easily, if they looked. And there were all these rumours about the Uchiha being able to control the Bijuu, that he could already hear being whispered in hushed tones as people came and left from the hospital that he only just stepped into.

 

No. The Uchiha wouldn't be allowed to take the boy either, not with rumours like that going around.

 

He brought Naruto into the ward for infants and carefully put him into a small cradle that a nurse quickly shuffled in when she saw what he was carrying.

 

He barely saw her breath hitch at the sight of the seal and this is where he did his first mistake of the night. Too concentrated on Naruto and thinking about options of who would be able to take him in and give him the care he deserved, he didn't notice her slipping out.

 

The next day the whole village knew who the new Jinchūriki was. Even his hastily erected order of silence couldn't prevent the secret from being spread like wildfire until the whole village knew.

 

Jiraya couldn't take Naruto, due to his own enemies and the dire necessity for his continued spy-network, especially not now in their weakened state without Hokage.

 

Kakashi was drowning, taking mission after mission and Sarutobi wasn't sure that he wasn't simply running towards death, no matter how much he tried to stir him into another direction. He also was one of the few ANBU he could trust now. No, Kakashi wasn't in any state to take Naruto.

 

The Uchiha were the pariah of the situation, ostracised by their peers and the civilians for not helping more during the Kyubi attack. Sarutobi tiredly rubbed at the bridge of his nose, looking through the class to where Naruto was sleeping peacefully with troubled eyes.

 

Everything was wrong.

 

There was too much to do for Sarutobi to take the boy himself, no matter how much he wanted to.

 

Others simply pressured him to just kill Naruto. A suggestion that to his horror found a lot of support. He had put his foot down and had put an ANBU guard on the boy, just in case.

 

Still... if nobody could take Naruto?  
  
The only place left was the orphanage. It might be the safest place for Naruto yet, being hidden among all the other poor kids that had lost their world in the attack.

 

Sarutobi just wished he could have something better.

 

He promised himself he would keep an eye on the boy, whenever he could.

 

It was the least he could do.

 

A few weeks later Naruto disappeared without a trace.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had this idea and I needed it. So here we are again. Love you peeps, next chapter is the actual kidnapping.


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